# Where is the flavor at? (noob)



## joeysmac (Nov 11, 2008)

Still trying to get the hang of this, but....

...when you speak of the nutty and buttery taste of pipe tobacco, are you referring to the taste of the actual smoke or the taste that is left in your mouth after you exhale/puff. When I smoke my pipe, and draw the smoke in, I can't taste anything at all. I can smell the tobacco and smoke, but I generally can't taste anything until after I have puffed a few times and sometimes for hours after the smoke.

Is this normal? Am I missing something?


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## tzilt (Nov 20, 2007)

I think its pretty normal. I've said this in similar threads but..

When i first started smoking a pipe a little over a year ago it all tasted the same. I honestly could not tell the difference between a strong aromatic and a straight Virginia. It all tasted, tobacco-y. Just a month or so ago I pulled out one of those first aromatics and gave it a whirl. I was shocked that I had not been able to taste it earlier in my pipe smoking career. It was so obvious and not subtle at all. 

So I think it just takes time for your palette to get adjusted. and not that long really.


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## DubintheDam (Jun 5, 2007)

You really need to push/blow the smoke out through the nose to 'taste' the baccy.


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## dmkerr (Oct 27, 2008)

For me, it's more the aftertaste, after I've blown out the smoke.

Another good time to taste the baccy is when the pipe has gone out. I occasionally sip on the stem of the unlit pipe and the tobacco taste comes through.


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## Vox3l (Nov 17, 2008)

dmkerr said:


> For me, it's more the aftertaste, after I've blown out the smoke.
> 
> Another good time to taste the baccy is when the pipe has gone out. I occasionally sip on the stem of the unlit pipe and the tobacco taste comes through.


I am much the same. I find that I don't much taste the tobacco while the smoke is in my mouth. The flavor seems to come more in the seconds or minutes after exhaling. I take a couple puffs and then I let the pipe be for a while to enjoy taste.

I have also found that sipping on tobacco after it has gone out brings the taste through more than when it is lit. Hell, with my Lou's Selectione Special I can take a draw on it without tobacco in it and even if I haven't smoked from it in a long time and taste the After Dinner blend that I always smoke in it!

I say give yourself a little resting period between draws. You should notice when the flavor hits you! :tu


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## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

Mrs. Moo insists I don't even have taste in my mouth but with pipes, as with cigars, I agree with her. 95% of the taste is all in the snork which, by default, is the nose (for me). I can't taste cigars or pipes with my tongue a'tall.

Try this. Without inhaling, reroute the smoke from mouth up thru, and out, the nose. The flavor is definitely there when you snork that stuff. If you are currently a snorker and still are absent flavor, you need some new tobacco or am eye, ear, nose & throat specialist.


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## joeysmac (Nov 11, 2008)

Mister Moo said:


> Try this. Without inhaling, reroute the smoke from mouth up thru, and out, the nose. The flavor is definitely there when you snork that stuff. If you are currently a snorker and still are absent flavor, you need some new tobacco or am eye, ear, nose & throat specialist.


I tried this for a while this morning, and I found it rather difficult. In fact, I don't know if I ever got it out my nose at all...I think I swallowed most of it. It was a short bowl though (christmas cheer 2008) and it was very ashy tasting to me this morning. I may try it again later.


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## Celt (Oct 23, 2007)

This is something that I find to be a must in order to taste the different tastes in cigars and pipe tobacco. If I do not retrohale(through the nose) it all just tastes like smoke to me.
But when done properly and the smoke is pushed through the sinus you really start to pick up on all the little flavors and sweetness of the smoke, especially in cigars I find.

For myself I just get the smoke in the back of throat and kinda push it through my sinus and out my nose, its really hard to splain how to do it though 

Its worth trying to figure out though!

:tu


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## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

joeysmac said:


> I tried this for a while this morning, and I found it rather difficult. In fact, I don't know if I ever got it out my nose at all...I think I swallowed most of it. It was a short bowl though (christmas cheer 2008) and it was very ashy tasting to me this morning. I may try it again later.


Not a french-inhale (out the mouth and inhaled thru the nostrils) and not an inhale at all - smokes shouldn't see your lungs. It's a bit of a trick to get it right but not hardly rocket science. Nose smoking - snorking - whatever, discussed at length here:

http://www.clubstogie.com/vb/showthread.php?t=102393&highlight=nose+smoking

The snork is where all the flavor is. :tu

No snork, no glory.


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## Celt (Oct 23, 2007)

The Moo Man speakith the truth!

Glory to all!!!


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## Smarvy (Nov 4, 2008)

This is difficult to explain, but I do this I suppose: I get some smoke into my mouth, then close my mouth, and reduce the volume of my "mouth-smoke-chamber" while relaxing my sinuses and pushing my tongue up towards the roof of my mouth. The pressure inside my mouth pushes the smoke out through my sinuses and nose. After you do it once successfully, you'll "get it". It's important, I think.


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## joeysmac (Nov 11, 2008)

Well...

I DID IT!!! After a few tries (imagine the choking sound in your head), I was able to get the smoke out my nose. I don't know if I can taste the tobacco any better (Burley London Blend this time) but there's definitely an improvement on the taste left in my mouth. It's not as smokey and a little strong (but I haven't smoked in over a week due to a stomach bug, so it tastes like my first time again).

All that to say, it onward to new frontiers smoking and snorking...

Any other tips, comments, cries of outrage?


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## dogsplayinpoker (Jan 23, 2007)

With more experience(more time smoking) you will be able to seperate and identify more flavors. Just keep at it and enjoy your 
View attachment 22447


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## petewho (May 22, 2008)

Took me about 2 months to develop a palette for pipe. Prior to that, all tobaccos either had no taste or all tasted the same. Now I have no idea how I could have ever missed the difference between a heavy Lat blend and a straight VA.


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## Geist (Nov 29, 2007)

joeysmac said:


> Still trying to get the hang of this, but....
> 
> ...when you speak of the nutty and buttery taste of pipe tobacco, are you referring to the taste of the actual smoke or the taste that is left in your mouth after you exhale/puff. When I smoke my pipe, and draw the smoke in, I can't taste anything at all. I can smell the tobacco and smoke, but I generally can't taste anything until after I have puffed a few times and sometimes for hours after the smoke.
> 
> Is this normal? Am I missing something?


I have the exact same problem!!!!! Excuse the excitement, but I've been going on for a while thinking I was a freak of nature. I might be, but not in the taste department, at least.

I also don't taste it when it is in my mouth, but only when it is out. Here are three techniques I use:

1) draw from pipe, tighten your lips like you are playing a trumpet. you might look like a frog in the mirror, and slowly blow the smoke out of your taut lips. I'm not sure why this is, but you get a wonderful taste.

2) this can be done while smoke is in, or out, it doesn't matter. close your mouth and extend your jaw, making your face long. blow out through your nose. The air will go into your mouth and then through your nose. I refer to this as "funneling".

3) "breathe smoking" Just leave the bit in your mouth and go back to whatever you were doing. Take it out once in a while and the taste will be very mellow. Lovely.

I recently emailed G.L. Pease about my problem, and he is a great guy. He gave me a very thorough response:

_Actually, what you describe is often referred to as retro-nasal tasting, 
and it is not at all uncommon. Sometimes, the palate is simply 
overwhelmed by the initial taste. I will say that it can take some time 
for your palate to learn the more subtle primary tastes of a blend. I 
remember when I started smoking a pipe, my experience was not dissimilar 
to yours. After a few years, however, I began to detect things more 
directly as my brain adapted to the experiences, forming new neural 
connections between aroma and flavour. I've always had acute senses of 
small and taste, but over the ten years that I've been actively involved 
in blend development, I'm happy to say that they are even more sensitive 
now than before! (And, the antis will tell you that smoking kills your 
sense of taste. Pure rubbish. I taste EVERYTHING more acutely now than I 
did before.)

When you eat and drink, the flavour molecules are in more direct contact 
with the receptors responsible for taste. Often, drinking something like 
water or tea will help to enhance the experience of the pipe. You might 
want to give it a try. Avoid, however, strongly flavoured beverages, at 
least at first, as they will overwhelm the senses._

I think the moral is you need to smoke a lot. You'll be amazed what you discover in a month or two of focus on a certain tobacco. I'm still learning, but I'm certainly glad I'm not alone.


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## TheRealBonger (Sep 7, 2007)

Very cool GL Pease response. Right On! p


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## Piledriver (Sep 23, 2008)

Just takes time to develop a palette. After a couple of months of smoking you will notice you can distinguish the flavors. Letting the smoke go through your nose should also accentuate the taste.


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## hagen (Jun 10, 2007)

Geist said:


> _Actually, what you describe is often referred to as retro-nasal tasting,
> and it is not at all uncommon. Sometimes, the palate is simply
> overwhelmed by the initial taste. I will say that it can take some time
> for your palate to learn the more subtle primary tastes of a blend. I
> ...


i don't think you'll have to smoke a lot in the sense that you should be puffing along all day - but yes, with a lot more experience, you'll learn to distinguish a lot more nuances. and that touches directly on gl pease's musings about the antis: actually, smoking may very well to some extend numb your taste and smell receptors but, as the most important part of sensing really goes on in your brain, it doesn't matter that much. it's what your brain learns that matters. your receptors will have to be in a quite bad state for you not to be able to distinguish most of the flavours that will give you joy in wine, food or tobacco. like, you know, having-a-cold bad.


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## Piper (Nov 30, 2008)

Although I'm sure I'd get more flavor by directing the pipe smoke thought my nasal passages, I prefer to let the smoke exit my mouth very slowly and then drift up into my nose. I get a lot of flavor without, to me, the harshness of direct smoke. I also find smoking that way very relaxing.


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## victory01 (Nov 14, 2008)

I also let the smoke slowly exit through my mouth and try to take in as many tastes as I can but just tonight executed the art of having the smoke exit through my nose by collapsing my mouth while exhaling through my nose and it was a complete different experience! Definitely worth the time and effort to try. It is a different experience all together. I was never able to use this method with cigars but somehow got it working tonight and can't wait to try it with some gars. Thanks for all the tips!


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## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

victory01 said:


> I also let the smoke slowly exit through my mouth and try to take in as many tastes as I can but just tonight executed the art of having the smoke exit through my nose by collapsing my mouth while exhaling through my nose and it was a complete different experience! Definitely worth the time and effort to try. It is a different experience all together. I was never able to use this method with cigars but somehow got it working tonight and can't wait to try it with some gars. Thanks for all the tips!


The snork, as you too have discovered, is the center of pipe and cigar flavor. Spread the word: No Snork, No Glory. :tup:cb:tu


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## LibertyToad (Jul 27, 2008)

joeysmac said:


> I tried this for a while this morning, and I found it rather difficult. In fact, I don't know if I ever got it out my nose at all...I think I swallowed most of it. It was a short bowl though (christmas cheer 2008) and it was very ashy tasting to me this morning. I may try it again later.


I have the same trouble. It helps if you swallow--but don't inhale, just swallow. It seems to get the smoke farther back in your throat and then exhale. Still, I can only get it to work a couple of times out of 10--frustrating.


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## brado (May 9, 2006)

I was going to post this somewhere else, but I think it applies here. I have not been "tasting" the baccy like I think I should/have been. I was wondering if it was what I've been smoking. I just bought a tin of Frog Morton On The Bayou, which was "supposed" to have Perique in it. I thought, "Ooooo, now I'll get some REAL tobacco flavor....not so much.
Don't get me wrong, it's very pleasant, but that's about it. I can ALMOST taste some aromatic. I can ALMOST taste some Latakia, and I can ALMOST taste a hint of something else (I can only assume that's Perique).

Is it just me?


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## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

LibertyToad said:


> I have the same trouble. It helps if you swallow--but don't inhale, just swallow. It seems to get the smoke farther back in your throat and then exhale. Still, I can only get it to work a couple of times out of 10--frustrating.


Swallow and snork go together like oil and water in my mind. With a mouthful of smoke, try easing your tongue to the back of your mouth and pushing it up slowly as you exhale thru your nose. No swallow. No inhaling. Once you get it, you got it.


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## NCRadioMan (Feb 28, 2005)

Your tounge can only taste sweet, sour, salty and bitter. It's the olfactory system that allows you to really taste. If you are not "snorking", you truly are not tasting the fullness that can be had.


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## jbennin314 (Jul 30, 2008)

Hello Everyone,
Haven't been around for some time, on the other hand what an interesting topic. I have many pipe smoking customers and club members who have asked me about this. And for the life of me I couldn't give them an answer.
Tasting tobacco from a pipe or cigars sort of developed with time. I never "thought" about it. I will now be able to tell them what I found out!
Thanks guys, this is very helpful.:tu
Jim


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## letsgomountaineers (Dec 19, 2008)

Mister Moo said:


> The snork, as you too have discovered, is the center of pipe and cigar flavor. Spread the word: No Snork, No Glory. :tup:cb:tu


how often should i snork? every puff? every other?


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## NCRadioMan (Feb 28, 2005)

letsgomountaineers said:


> how often should i snork? every puff? every other?


I can't not do it on every puff. It has become second nature without thinking about it. Experiement to find what's best for you. p


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## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

letsgomountaineers said:


> how often should i snork? every puff? every other?


Establish your own PSI (Personal Snork Index)
over time. How much and how often is personal taste. NCRadioMan appears to be an all-around power-snorker, whereas, I don't like snorking thin smoke. I'll usually wait until the smoke is thickest, after a few small mouth-puffs.


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## Oldguy (Feb 12, 2008)

Sounds like you've got the hang of it. Keep on smoking; you'll develop the ability to detect differences in tobacco tastes over time. I have been at it for almost 45 years and am still learning! 
Another thing to remember is that not every smoke will be great. Even the same tobacco smoked in the same pipe may taste different every time. This only adds to the mystique of smoking. The differences can be from many reasons; temperature, humidity, the condition of the pipe, and your own body chemistry which changes from day to day. 
The magic of GLP Odyssey which folks go on about, had eluded me since it came out. I enjoyed it, but had never experienced the nirvana that people wrote about. Recently I stuffed some into a Rhodesian which I had made last summer. Voila -- it was a magic carpet ride. I experienced all the wondrous nuances for which this baccy is famous. Strangely enough, a few days later I tried to exactly reproduce the experience, and was left flat. But there will be another time, so I keep trying.


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## mclayton (Dec 21, 2008)

Can I get a step by step process for this "snorking"? I have never heard of it, and am vaguely intrigued.


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## letsgomountaineers (Dec 19, 2008)

mclayton said:


> Can I get a step by step process for this "snorking"? I have never heard of it, and am vaguely intrigued.


i just learned how myself, i bring the smoke and let my cheeks puff out a little. then slowly pull my checks back in and blow out through my nose.


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## mclayton (Dec 21, 2008)

letsgomountaineers said:


> i just learned how myself, i bring the smoke and let my cheeks puff out a little. then slowly pull my checks back in and blow out through my nose.


I presume that the bringing the cheeks back forces it into the nose? I just tried and it hurt like hell...lol


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## letsgomountaineers (Dec 19, 2008)

mclayton said:


> I presume that the bringing the cheeks back forces it into the nose? I just tried and it hurt like hell...lol


yeah. its like a bellows thing.


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## paperairplane (Nov 8, 2007)

take a drag on your pipe, do not inhale, force your tongue to the roof of your mouth, exhale through your nose
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you just have to train your palate and learn what to look for - buy tobacco that is very characteristic of a blend - read reviews from more experienced smokers - smoke that blend and look for what they are talking about

a lot of people will never believe that dark chocolate goes well with some dry red wines, until they try it - then they get the a-ha

I have a pretty good palate for most things - but I typically get very little perique until it goes through the nose. 

I don't have an issue with frech inhaling a pipe either - I do this quite a bit.


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## mclayton (Dec 21, 2008)

I snorked a few times with the bowl I just had, it's neat, but I def don't think my nose can take that repeatedly.


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## NCRadioMan (Feb 28, 2005)

mclayton said:


> I snorked a few times with the bowl I just had, it's neat, but I def don't think my nose can take that repeatedly.


The more you do it, the more you get used to it. It's a "build your tolerance" kind of thing. Also, try letting most of the smoke out of your mouth, then snork the rest.


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## beefytee (Apr 16, 2009)

So I employed this method over the long weekend and man did I ever enjoy it.

Vanilla Tinderbox
Arcadia
Escudo

The Arcadia and Escudo were absolutely incredible. 

I can't imagine smoking any other way (I used about a 2:5 snorking ratio)


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## Mr.Lordi (May 20, 2007)

This old thread just made me realize I've been snorking wrong this whole time. :wacko:

I'd bring it into my mouth, inhale a bit to get it to the back of my throat and quickly exhale out my nose. :/ lol


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## BigRay023 (Apr 11, 2009)

I love seeing old threads crawl up out of their graves. I snorkeling about 85% of the time. One because its the only time I can taste specific nuances. Two, snorking seems to give the body a much higher dose of the big N and depending on the blend/cigar I can really get my head swimming :lol:


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## mbearer (Jun 2, 2010)

Holy MOLY Thanks for bumping this thread up...

Never heard of snorking before (cig smoker here) and breathing out your nose (been doing) and snorking are way different. Just got it right a couple times with the C&D Plantation Evening I am settling down with now and WOW!!!! I have done it by accident a couple time and never thought of it much.

Now I have to go all the tobacco's again DARN <G> Why didn't I take this up sooner again? 
Mike


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## Brinson (Oct 28, 2007)

I've tried retrohaling alot and personally I find the taste is better for me from the tongue. I never had trouble tasting pipe tobacco, though, with my tongue. The retrohale tastes like ash and is disgusting and painful to me. Just my experience, though, and yes, I've tried it alot.


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## Senator (Feb 8, 2008)

The "snork" brings a whole extra dimension to tasting tobacco. You need both taste (on the tongue) and smell (from a snork) to fully understand and appreciate a blend.


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## Brinson (Oct 28, 2007)

Senator said:


> The "snork" brings a whole extra dimension to tasting tobacco. You need both taste (on the tongue) and smell (from a snork) to fully understand and appreciate a blend.


A matter of opinion. I personally feel that "snorking" ruins the experience of smoking and distors the taste on my tongue, which is the only one I feel matters.


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Geist said:


> _And, the antis will tell you that smoking kills your
> sense of taste. Pure rubbish._


I'm sorry, but this is just silly. It's not just 'the antis' that tell you this, it's anyone who has ever smoked cigarettes, quit, and discovered the return of their sense of smell, which is what you lose, not the sense of taste. Pipe smoking is different, sure, but most people think pipe smoking is just something they did 'back in the old days'. They don't even know we exist.


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## Garin (May 21, 2010)

This thread was definitely an eye-opener for me too. Or nose-opener. whatever. This, along with the new packing techniques, has definitely improved my pipe-smoking experience many times over. Though I can't snork a whole mouthful, I just push a touch out my nose with the exhale, then blow the rest without snorking. I can gently regulate the intensity quite well: a little or a lot. 

I find it interesting that the first few puffs and the end of the bowl are much tougher to snork than the middle of the bowl.


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